An upcoming Fox News special report promises to expose Obamacare problems in New Hampshire, where the network's former contributor Scott Brown is running for U.S. Senate. The special will feature an interview with Brown, who has declared that “Obamacare isn't working” and called the law a “monstrosity.”
Airing the night of August 8, "Live Free or Die: Obamacare in New Hampshire" promises to chronicle the effect of the Affordable Care Act on New Hampshire residents, such as a doctor who retired rather than deal with health care reform and a “lesbian [who] opts out of Obamacare, questioning why she should pay for reproductive care she doesn't want or need.”
Why the focus on New Hampshire? According to the network, in part because the state is “where this year's election will be key to determining which party controls the Senate.” This appears to be the first time Fox has run a special focused on a single state since at least 2012.
Brown himself will participate in the special and promoted it earlier today, tweeting:
Tune into @FoxNews tonight at 10 to watch my discussion with @BretBaier on the “ObamaCare in New Hampshire” documentary #nhpolitics
-- Scott P. Brown (@SenScottBrown) August 8, 2014
Fox is intimately involved with the New Hampshire Senate race, as its former contributor is seeking to unseat incumbent Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen. Brown began teasing his candidacy while still receiving a paycheck from Fox, and recently credited his role on the network with inspiring his campaign for Senate.
From the start, Brown has focused his campaign on his opposition to Obamacare. His website states that the “people of New Hampshire take pride in individual liberty and freedom. Obamacare demolishes both.” He went on an “Obamacare isn't Working” tour and has repeatedly criticized his opponent for voting in favor of the law, which he deemed a "monstrosity" in need of repeal.
Yet, when it comes to specifics, Brown has endorsed the extension of coverage to people lacking it or with pre-existing conditions, a paradox many, like Washington Post's Greg Sargent, have criticized as "unsustainable." He's refused to give his opinion on New Hampshire's recent decision to expand Medicaid, a move which grants health coverage to at least 50,000 low-income residents. And when asked for his vision of state-based health care reform to replace the ACA, he's offered solutions that sound an awful lot like the ACA (unsurprisingly, as Brown previously supported Romneycare in Massachusetts).
The approach Fox will take with its report on New Hampshire and Obamacare remains to be seen. But the network has invested a lot in Brown's candidacy, and the special's timing and focus suggest a desperate attempt to save Brown from himself.
Media Matters researchers Lis Power and Chance Seales contributed to this post.